At a time when heroes are too rare, C. Vivian Stringer sets a shining example. She has time and again shown character, fortitude, and heart, both on and off the hardwood, and in the face of unbearable loss. In Standing Tall, she shares her remarkable life story, inspiring us to find this fortitude within ourselves.
Γ’β¬ΕWork hard, and donΓ’β¬β’t look for excuses,Γ’β¬Β StringerΓ’β¬β’s parents told her, Γ’β¬Εand you can achieve anything.Γ’β¬Β But her faith and perseverance would be tested many times. A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championshipsΓ’β¬βa triumph hailed as Γ’β¬ΕHoosiers with an all-female cast.Γ’β¬Β In 1991, her husband, BillΓ’β¬βher staunchest supporter, the father of her children, and the love of her lifeΓ’β¬βfell dead of a sudden heart attack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four. Through these dark times and othersΓ’β¬βincluding her bout with cancer, shared here for the first timeΓ’β¬βStringer has carried her burdens with grace. Given her history, it was no surprise that she led her team to respond to Don ImusΓ’β¬β’s slurs with dignity and courage.
Standing Tall is a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love storyΓ’β¬βlove for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon. It will resonate long after the last page.
Media Buzz
Oprah - December 10, 2008 Oprah - April 8, 2008 Good Morning America - March 5, 2008 News and Notes - March 4, 2008
© 2003-2026